


The Circle of Love

by WhenTheCanonShootsOnlyBlanks



Category: Call the Midwife
Genre: Because of reasons..., Canon Compliant, Continuation, F/F, Now a multichapter fic, With another rating, spoilers for 6x08
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-13
Updated: 2017-03-17
Packaged: 2018-10-04 06:00:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10269845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhenTheCanonShootsOnlyBlanks/pseuds/WhenTheCanonShootsOnlyBlanks
Summary: What went through Delia's head before, during and after she spotted Patsy at the wedding party.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I don't normally write fic for this fandom, but after that amazing but very short scene last night I couldn't help it. I had too many thoughts and feelings and after watching the scene a small 500 times (no exaggeration) I thought I would share them with you in a short fic from Delia's point of view.
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

It was always difficult to be single at a wedding, but it was even worse to be heartbroken at a wedding. Delia wanted to be happy for Barbara and Tom, and she was, happy for them, truly. But she couldn’t help but feel like something was missing as she watched her friends and the happy couple ride around on the carousel, like _someone_ was missing.

This whole affair would be much more enjoyable with Patsy by her side. They might never be able to get married like Barbara and Tom, to have a child like Dr. and Mrs. Turner or to be as open as Trixie and her new suitor, but they would have at least been together.

Delia imagined dragging Patsy onto the carousel after a vigorous protest from the redhead that she did not enjoy being spun around apart from on the dancefloor. They would laugh and smile and there would be no need to hold hands as Patsy would be there, with her. But she wasn’t, she hadn’t even heard from her in over a month.

She had no idea where Patsy was, how she was doing, if she was okay, if she was ever coming back to Poplar, to her. There was just, nothing.

Her gaze wandered from the happy people riding on the carousel down to the street. She didn’t want anyone to see her smile falter; they deserved their celebration. Maybe it would be best if she went inside. There would be questions tomorrow of where she had disappeared to, of course. But she could no longer hold up this façade of joy. Pretend that she was okay, and that every heartbeat didn’t cause her pain.

She looked up from the cobbles, it was time to excuse herself and go to bed. Her tears had no place at this wedding. And that was when she saw her, wearing the same coat she’d had on when she’d left, suitcase in hand.

Delia blinked, the ghostly apparition of her girlfriend not disappearing, just raising her hand in greeting.

Her heart started to hammer in her chest, her breath sticking in her throat. She gasped, not believing what her eyes were telling her they were seeing, but there was only one way to find out…

She willed her legs to move her forward, towards the figure that had been haunting her thoughts every day and every night for the last nine months.

Delia didn’t know what she was feeling as she neared Patsy. There were too many to make sense of, anger and hurt for the months of radio silence. Concern for the woman who had just lost the very last member of her family. Disbelief, not yet letting herself believe this was real. But also relieve and a modicum of happiness that Patsy _was_ here, standing barely three feet in front of her.

She didn’t slow down, grabbing Patsy’s hand in passing.

A shiver not unlike a static shock ran up her arm as her hand touched Patsy’s. The skin achingly familiar, always slightly rough from all the soaps and cleaning agents they endured. Patsy never quite finding the time to use any of the lotions Delia had gotten her over the years to protect her hands, always washing them off before they absorbed into the skin.

This was real, Patsy was here, she was back.

Delia pulled her along, away from the prying eyes of the crowd.

She wanted to do so many things, she wanted to scream, to cry, to rush forward to kiss the other woman. But most of all she wanted an explanation. She needed to know why, why Patsy hadn’t written to her, told her she was coming back.

She said nothing, waiting for Patsy to speak.

Patsy didn’t meet her eyes, staring at the ground.

Delia made use of the second it took Patsy’s blue eyes to find her own to study the woman in front of her. Outwardly she looked the same, like the nine months spent on the other side of the globe hadn’t managed to change her one bit. Her complexion was as pale as always, her hair perfectly coiffed and her clothes neatly pressed. Immaculate as ever. But Delia could also see the heavy grief weighing down her shoulders, the remorse turning down the corners of her lips.

‘I got on the boat the day after his funeral.’

Delia struggled to keep her tears at bay. ‘I didn’t know. I didn’t know you were coming back.’

‘I did.’ Conviction lacing Patsy’s words. ‘I always did.’

Delia looked up, swallowing the heavy lump in her throat.

‘And wherever I go next,’ Patsy continued, ‘you’re coming with me.’

Delia felt the conflicting thoughts in her head quiet as Patsy grabbed the lapel of her coat to pull her into a bruising kiss nine months overdue.

Patsy’s lips against hers quieted every lingering shred of doubt that this wasn’t real, that Patsy was out of her reach still. Patsy was here, and she was going to make her keep her word; she was never going anywhere without her ever again.

She melted into Patsy’s embrace for a second, feeling secure in the taller woman’s arms. But it couldn’t last, they were still in public so after a few seconds they pulled apart.

She slowly let her hands trail from Patsy’s, unable to stop the small smile from forming on her lips. There was a lot still to discuss, but for tonight having Patsy with her was enough, they still had a wedding to attend after all.

‘So what is happening here, exactly?’ Patsy asked, motioning to the carousel making its rounds on the square in front of Nonnatus house.

‘Barbara’s wedding. You picked one hell of a day to come home,’ Delia smiled, wishing she could hold Patsy’s hand, instead gripping the handle of her suitcase a little tighter.

‘Nurse Busby!’ Patsy gasped, feigning shock. ‘Language.’

Delia laughed, bumping Patsy’s shoulder with her own, hooking her arm through the taller woman’s. This was the best they could do out in the open, and she was going to enjoy every second of it.

‘I am glad you’re back,’ she whispered. ‘I missed you so much.’

‘I missed you too,’ Patsy said, smiling warmly at her. ‘I thought the wedding wouldn’t be until next summer?’

‘It was brought forward so Barbara’s father could perform the ceremony, he is going out of the country for the next three years. We all could have used your talent for organization these last three weeks,’ Delia laughed as she thought about the hectic three weeks they’d just had, and how much better it would have been if Patsy had been there with her.

‘It seems you have managed admirably,’ Patsy smiled.

‘We did our best,’ Delia smiled.

What she wanted most right now was to drag Patsy inside, up to her room so they could lay on her bed and talk. Talk about why she hadn’t written, about everything that had happened since she’d left. But she knew that was an impossibility, there was a square filled with people between them and the front door.

‘You look lovely,’ Patsy said, brushing some of the fresh snow from her shoulder. ‘Blue has always been your colour.’

Before Delia could respond in kind, Barbara noticed them.

‘Patsy!’ she shouted, motioning to Tom to help her off the carousel.

Delia let go off Patsy’s arm so she could greet their friend.

‘I didn’t know you were coming back today!’ Barbara smiled, throwing her arms around Patsy’s neck in an enthusiastic hug.

‘Nobody did,’ Delia said, putting on a smile for Barbara while eyeing Patsy out of the corner of her eye.

The redhead had to good nature to look embarrassed by it.

‘I hear congratulations are in order,’ Patsy smiled, putting her hands on Barbara’s shoulders as she looked at her. ‘You look splendid, Barbara. I am sorry I couldn’t be here for the ceremony,’ Patsy apologized. ‘My best wishes to you and the groom.’

‘It is more than enough to have you here now. Tom rented this carousel as a surprise because of a story I told him from when I was young,’ Barbara recounted, filling Patsy in on the significance of the carousel as they walked around the square.

Delia walked beside them, still quietly wishing for the two of them to have a moment to themselves as everyone welcomed Patsy home.

Trixie equally enthusiastic as Barbara, greeting her with a long hug and teasing comments before returning to her beau and his daughter.

‘I have heard a lot about you,’ Valerie greeted with a warm smile as she shook Patsy’s hand. ‘And I seem to have taken your bed during your absence, you can of course have it back now.’

‘That won’t be necessary,’ Nurse Crane said as she appeared at their side. ‘As Nurse Gilbert, now Nurse Hereward, will be departing on her honeymoon tonight, there is a bed free in my room. And Nurse Busby and I have already agreed to switch beds so I can have a room to myself while she shares with Nurse Mount. You young women are much better off together. So you can keep your bed, Nurse Dyer,’ Nurse Crane said, clasping Valerie on the back.

Delia’s eyes widened slightly, she had never discussed anything of the sort with Nurse Crane, but she wasn’t going to protest her and Patsy being able to share a room after all this time.

‘I am glad you are back, Nurse Mount,’ Nurse Crane said as she shook her hand. ‘We have greatly missed your presence around Nonnatus, some more than others,’ she said as she looked at Delia. ‘And some news about your return would have been appreciated,’ Nurse Crane said, glaring slightly at Patsy as she said it.

‘I shall keep that in mind,’ Patsy said, nodding diffidently.

Nurse Crane nodded curtly before she too turned back to the festivities, as was her duty as bridesmaid.

‘Does she know? About us?’ Patsy asked, sounding frightened as she pulled Delia aside.

Delia chewed her lip. Nodding slightly. ‘I think she does. I don’t know how. But when you left she comforted me, lent me a book of Spanish poetry. We have never talked about it since, I have never explained or denied anything. She just _knew_.’

‘I am glad you had someone here,’ Patsy said, looking down at the ground. And that’s when Delia realized that while she’d had Phyllis and the others to keep her company, to comfort her even if they hadn’t realized exactly what had been going on. Patsy had had no one. She had been on her own in a foreign country for nearly a year, grieving all alone aboard a ship for a month. She had just lost her father and had to do it all alone.

‘I’m sorry you were alone,’ Delia said, tears pooling in her eyes.

‘I am sorry you were too,’ Patsy said, her eyes equally shiny.

Delia wanted to wrap her arms around Patsy and hold her tight, but she couldn’t, not here at least. She was just about to suggest they go inside when another voice demanded their attention.

‘Nurse Mount! What a lovely surprise!’ Mrs. Turner lilted as her husband pushed her wheelchair towards them.

Patsy wiped at her cheek, erasing the evidence of the tear that had escaped her eyes. ‘Mr and Mrs Turner! How are you doing? And who is this little chap?’ she smiled as she looked down at baby Evan cradled safely in his mother’s arms.

Patsy smiled and nodded as the Turners caught her up on the things she had missed the last nine months. Delia waiting patiently next to her, wanting nothing more than to go inside and be alone with Patsy, knowing there was at least one more obstacle they had to pass before they could excuse themselves from the party.

‘We should really put Evan down for bed, Shelagh,’ Dr. Turner smiled.

‘You’re right, of course,’ Mrs. Turner smiled. ‘Goodnight ladies, enjoy the festivities. It is time for us to go home.’ Mrs. Turner waved over her shoulder, looking as happy as all their new mothers did.

‘Pats,’ Delia said, Patsy’s smile widening as Delia used the familiar shortened version of her name, ‘this suitcase is getting rather heavy, maybe we could make the rounds after you’ve unpacked?’

Patsy took the suitcase from her. ‘I quite thought you might like to go around on the carousel with me once,’ Patsy smiled. ‘It is a party after all.’

Delia looked at the merry-go-round. Earlier, before Patsy’s abrupt arrival, she had fantasized about doing just that, but right now she would really just rather go inside, away from prying eyes.

‘If it is all the same to you, I would rather just help you unpack,’ Delia said her smile a little watery.

‘I would like nothing more,’ Patsy nodded, smiling softly, love and affection warming her blue eyes.

They made their way up the front steps of Nonnatus, running into Sisters Winifred, Julienne and Monica Joan.

‘Nurse Mount, what an unexpected pleasure!’ Sister Julienne greeted.

They quickly made their way through another round of hellos. Sister Julienne affirming Nurse Crane’s earlier comment about switching rooms, Sister Winifred the first one to offer Patsy her condolences as well as a warm smile to welcome her back. Sister Monica Joan ranting about “the first snow of the season always returning what was lost” until Sister Julienne skilfully quieted her with a touch to her arm. Making the elderly Sister smile and offer Patsy her salutations on her return.

After that they politely excused themselves, Patsy claiming to be weary from her travels and Delia claiming she needed to help Patsy unpack and get settled.

As soon as the large oak door fell closed behind them Delia relaxed, feeling Patsy do the same beside her.

She quickly looked over her shoulder to make sure they were really alone before taking the suitcase from Patsy’s hands, putting it on the ground before pressing Patsy back against the door.

‘Welcome home, Pats,’ Delia smiled, pushing up on her toes to kiss her girlfriend again. Patsy was back, she was here, in her arms, and she was never leaving again. So whatever happened next, they were going to be okay, because they were together, back were they belonged: home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As this is my first time writing any pupcake, comments would be very appreciated. And so would your own thoughts and feelings about the finale! 
> 
> It is a little over nine months before we (hopefully) see Patsy and Delia's beautiful faces again, so maybe I will stray from my usual fandom again once or twice to write some more pupcake, because I honestly can't go without them for that long.
> 
> Thank you for reading and I will see you around!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to extend my stay in this fandom a little longer.  
> You have all been so welcoming and lovely I couldn't just leave this a one-shot!
> 
> Enjoy the bumped-up rating (even if it barely deserves it, haha)

This time Delia didn’t let go of Patsy’s hand as she pulled back from the kiss. The convent was abandoned and now Patsy was back she didn’t want to let go. She wanted to feel Patsy’s warm skin against her own, wanted to smell the faint scent of bleach and Patsy’s favourite perfume as she buried her nose in the collar of Patsy’s shirt, so that’s just what she did.

Patsy looked around the dim hallway for a moment, a small smile of recognition curling her lips.

‘It’s good to be home,’ she breathed, squeezing Delia’s hand.

‘It’s good to have you back,’ Delia smiled, pulling Patsy up the stairs to her bedroom. They would move all their stuff into their new, _shared_ room tomorrow. Tonight, Nurse Crane would just have to sleep next to an empty bed.

‘Deels,’ Patsy sighed as she all but collapsed onto Delia’s bed. ‘Before we talk, is it okay if I take a shower first? I am feeling all grimy from travel. Ships and harbours are not nearly as hygienic as I want them to be,’ she finished, a crinkle appearing between her brows as she obviously remembered the conditions she had been forced to shower in before.

Delia chuckled, reaching out to smooth the line away. ‘Of course, maybe I’ll join you,’ she added suggestively.

Patsy worried her bottom lip between her teeth, obviously caught between wanting Delia to join her on the one hand, and protecting their secret on the other.

‘We shouldn’t…’ Patsy started. Delia hadn’t expected any differently, Patsy had already thrown caution to the wind once today by kissing her on a public street but Delia wasn’t going to give in, not tonight.

‘Nobody is here. Everybody is still out, celebrating. When are we ever going to get this chance again?’ Delia said, starting on undoing the top button of Patsy’s blouse.

Patsy didn’t protest as Delia undid a few more buttons, Patsy’s chest starting to rise and fall rapidly.

‘Just a short shower, we can’t have anyone seeing us exit the bathroom together on my first night back,’ Patsy said breathlessly as she put her hands on Delia’s hips, pushing her backwards to the door.

‘No, we can’t have that,’ Delia smiled, pushing up on her toes to brush her lips against Patsy’s. ‘Now come on, get your things and let’s shower.’

She released Patsy from her grip, sending the tall redhead scampering to retrieve her toiletries from her suitcase.

‘What’s that?’ Delia asked as Patsy gingerly lifted a parcel from her suitcase.

Patsy eyes turned sad for a moment. ‘I will show you later.’

Delia nodded, taking Patsy’s hand as they walked to the bathroom together, rubbing her thumb over Patsy’s knuckles, keeping an ear out for any indication that someone had come home to ruin their fun, thankfully hearing nothing.

After locking the bathroom door behind them Delia felt a lot calmer and she could see Patsy relax too.

‘Let me help with that,’ she said as she noticed Patsy pulling the curby grips from her hair. ‘I have fantasized about doing that every day and every night for a long while,’ she whispered as she removed the pins from Patsy’s hair. The strands moving only a little as the lacquer kept them in place.

She smiled as she ran her fingers through the coppery locks, combing the hairspray from the soft hair until it fell to her shoulders, slightly longer than it had been when she left for Hong Kong all those months ago.

‘That’s better,’ Delia smiled, tucking a strand of hair behind Patsy’s ear.

Patsy smiled, reaching her arms around Delia’s back to pull the pins from Delia’s own elaborate up-do.

‘Who did your hair?’ Patsy groaned after pulling approximately ten pins from Delia’s hair and not even denting it.

‘Trixie,’ Delia laughed. ‘It was a wedding, I had to look presentable.’

‘Well, you look very nice,’ Patsy practically purred as she ran her hands down the side of Delia’s neck, resting them on her shoulders for a moment before tracing the contours of her biceps.

Delia swallowed, throwing her arms around Patsy’s neck to drag her in for a hungry kiss.

Clothes were shed quickly after that, Delia plucking the remaining pins from her hair as they stumbled into the shower, still locked at the lips.

Delia reached behind, turning the knob and dousing the two of them in freezing water.

‘God!’ Patsy yelled, moving away from the spray, pulling Delia flush against her to protect her from the cold water too. ‘That I have not missed,’ she said as she looked down at Delia.

Delia chuckled. She could think of a few things she _had_ missed.

The cold shower had quite literally cooled down their desperation, but as the water started to heat up, so did their need for each other.

It had been much too long since she’d last seen Patsy in this state of undress. Even before Patsy had left to take care of her ailing father it had been a while.

Delia pulled her bottom lip between her teeth as her hands ghosted over Patsy’s collarbones, brushing some stray droplets of water off the pale, soft skin. After a while her lips replaced her hands on Patsy’s shoulders, her palms gliding down Patsy’s sides, brushing against the tantalizing swells of her breasts.

Patsy sucked in a shuddering breath as Delia’s hands softly cupped her breasts.

‘I love you,’ Delia whispered, realizing now that after everything that had happened that night she hadn’t said it yet. She looked up, meeting Patsy’s blue eyes, not needing to hear her say the words to know the tall redhead felt them. But that didn’t mean her body didn’t thoroughly warm when Patsy whispered “I love you too” in her ear.

‘I missed you. Never go away again,’ Delia husked against the skin of Patsy’s neck as she pulled the redhead under the now warm water.

‘Not without you,’ Patsy said, gasping as Delia scratched a nail down her stomach, veering to the right at the last second so her hand ended up on Patsy’s thigh.

‘Can I?’ Delia asked as she started drawing little spirals and whirls at the apex of Patsy’s leg. The impatient bucking of Patsy’s hips more than enough of an answer but she wanted to hear Patsy say it.

‘Yes. Always. I’m all yours,’ Patsy sighed as she closed her eyes, her head falling back against the tiled wall behind her.

Delia pressed herself close to Patsy, their bodies lining up perfectly, wet skin touching wet skin as she swirled two fingers around Patsy’s centre, spreading an entirely different kind of wetness.

Patsy whimpered, her nails digging into Delia’s shoulders, and Delia knew that whatever it was everyone else said, this couldn’t be wrong. This was the most perfect thing in the world and she was not going to let anyone take it from her.

‘Deels, Delia,’ Patsy panted, her grip on her Delia’s shoulders tightening as Delia entered her with two fingers. ‘ _God_ ,’ she moaned as Delia set a fast pace.

Delia chuckled against Patsy’s neck, the vibrations making Patsy gasp. ‘Maybe not invoke the Lord’s name right now, darling,’ Delia laughed, using her thumb to gently rub the sensitive bundle of nerves at the apex of Patsy’s thigh.

She wanted this to last forever, to watch Patsy hover on the edge of pleasure like this for hours, looking beautiful and ethereal with her face flushed, her blue eyes dark and half-lidded, but even now they were under a time-restraint. The party outside would almost certainly be winding down by now so they were running out of time.

Delia applied a little more pressure, swallowing Patsy’s moans with a deep kiss.

Patsy came with a shuddering gasp mere moments later, melting against Delia as her knees buckled beneath her.

Delia wiped her fingers on the inside of Patsy’s thigh before reaching up to cup the redhead’s face in her palm.

‘It’s nice to know I can still do that,’ Delia said, brushing a wet lock of hair away from Patsy’s eyes.

Patsy smiled softly, her eyes cast down to the ground. She always got a little shy after sex, which Delia thought was adorable.

‘I never doubted you could,’ Patsy said, raising her chin to stare at Delia with some newfound confidence that took her breath away. ‘I, on the other hand, might be a little rusty.’

Delia was about to let Patsy have her way with her when she remembered they didn’t really have time for her to repay the favour.

‘Pats, as much I would love for you to do _that_ right now, we should probably get out of the shower soon.’

Patsy bit her lip, thinking it over for a few seconds.

‘Later then,’ she said, her eyes smouldering hotly. ‘Because I want you. Very much,’ she continued, pulling Delia in for another kiss.

Delia was having a little trouble getting oxygen to her brain after Patsy pulled away from the breath-taking kiss. So she just stood and watched as Patsy leaned out of the shower to retrieve a bar of soap.

‘The least we can do is actually wash,’ Patsy grinned as she wet the bar in her hands, working up a lather before motioning for Delia to turn around.

Delia smiled, steading herself against the shower wall as Patsy gently rubbed the soap over her back and then everywhere else.

She inhaled deeply, she had missed the specific scent of Patsy’s soap. The floral notes of irises and lilies fragrant without being overpoweringly sweet. It was one of the strongest reminders that Patsy was back.

After Patsy had completely lathered her with soap and gently rinsed it off, Delia quickly returned the favour. The both of them stepping out of the shower just as the water returned to ice.

They didn’t say anything as they dried off and changed into their pyjamas, just looking and smiling at each other through the clear spot on the foggy bathroom mirror.

‘Ready?’ Delia asked as she silently unlocked the bathroom door, listening for any sounds that someone was home. Only hearing a reassuring silence.

‘Come on,’ she whispered, slipping through the door, Patsy following on her heels.

They both giggled as the door to Delia’s room fell closed behind them, the tension of getting caught slipping off their shoulders like a cloak.

‘Are you staying?’ Delia asked as she put her toiletries away.

‘Of course,’ Patsy nodded and Delia could feel the mood in the room change even before Patsy spoke again. ‘I owe you an apology.’

‘Pats…’ Delia said. Patsy was back now; the hurt was in the past.

‘No, I’m sorry. For not writing you,’ Patsy said, sitting down on the edge of the bed, her hands folded in her lap. ‘I’m sorry,’ she squeaked as she looked up, her eyes brimming with tears.

Delia bit her lip, she wanted to say it was okay. But it wasn’t really. The last few months of not hearing from Patsy had been some of the most difficult of her life, and she needed an explanation.

‘Why didn’t you write?’ Delia asked softly, sitting down next to Patsy, taking the redhead’s hand between her own.

‘I didn’t know what to say,’ Patsy sniffed. ‘The weeks before his death I was at his bedside constantly. Sometimes he barely recognized me, other times he cried because of how much he missed of my life. It changed day by day but I could feel him slipping away even in his more lucid moments. When he died, I had to take care of his estate and the funeral. I wanted to talk to you then so badly, to hear your voice, to feel your touch. After the funeral I sat down to write you but the words wouldn’t come. I couldn’t make sense of my feelings, I just couldn’t…’ Patsy said, wiping at her eyes.

‘You could have said you were coming home,’ Delia said, her voice heavy with emotion. ‘That was all I needed to know. It would have stopped me from worrying, from thinking you were staying there. That you had forgotten about me.’

‘I could never forget about you. Not a day went by that I didn’t think about you,’ Patsy cried, her voice high and uneven. ‘And I know I should have written and I would have, but before I knew it I was on the boat back and it was too late. I wrote to you then but I couldn’t post them. I’m sorry for worrying you. So sorry,’ Patsy sobbed.

Delia put her arm around Patsy’s shoulder, pulling her against her.

‘You’re back now, that’s all that matters,’ Delia whispered, kissing Patsy’s temple.

‘I’m sorry,’ Patsy squeaked again, burying her face against the side of Delia’s next, crying into her pyjama top.

‘Shhh,’ Delia soothed, rubbing Patsy’s back. ‘I know losing your father must have been so hard. It’s okay. It’s okay now.’

‘I- I told him about you,’ Patsy hiccupped, wiping at her cheeks as she looked up at Delia, her blue eyes wet with tears.

‘You did?’ Delia said, surprised.

‘In one of his last weeks, when we both knew he was nearing the end, he asked me if there was someone back home who would take care of me afterwards. And there is no one who takes better care of me than you,’ she said as she reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind Delia’s ear.

‘Did you tell him everything?’ Delia asked, taking Patsy’s hands between her own again.

‘I told him I loved you,’ Patsy smiled. ‘Because I do, so very much.’

‘What did he say?’ Delia asked, the words sticking to the inside of her throat. Their relationship had always been a secret, kept between the two of them. Delia suspected her mother knew and now Nurse Crane did too. But neither had ever acknowledged it outright.

‘He told me he wished I had taken you with me. He would have loved to meet you,’ Patsy said, smiling through her tears.

‘Oh,’ Delia breathed, pressing her lips together as she nodded, looking down at her hands.

‘And then he gave me this,’ Patsy said as she got up off the bed, rummaging around in her suitcase for a moment, gingerly putting the wrapped parcel down on the ground, Delia was still curious as to what was inside, but they would have a chance to talk about that later.

When Patsy sat back down on the edge of the bed her eyes were clearer.

‘I mean it when I said that I was never going anywhere without you again. And while I know that what we have can never be public, I also know that I so desperately want to show everyone that I love you. That you make me happy in a way nobody else can. So while I know you can’t wear it, not in the way I want you to anyway, I want you to have this,’ Patsy said as she opened the small velvet box she held in her palm.

Delia sucked in a shuddering breath as she noticed what lay inside.

‘Pats…’ Delia whispered, feeling her heart beat in her throat.

‘I know I can’t give you a wedding, or a carousel outside on the street. But I can promise to love you forever, and that is the most important thing anyway, isn’t it?’ Patsy said, her eyes getting misty again, only now for an entirely different reason.

‘Delia,’ Patsy asked softly, holding the ring out to her, ‘will you marry me?’

Delia bit her lip, nodding furiously. ‘Yes. Yes, I will,’ she said, a smile breaking through her tears.

Patsy slipped the ring onto her finger, both of them knowing it couldn’t stay there, that there would never be a wedding, but right in that moment it didn’t matter.

Delia surged forwards, wrapping her arms around Patsy’s neck as she kissed her soundly.

‘I love you,’ she whispered against Patsy’s lips as she pulled back a little.

‘I love you too,’ Patsy smiled, playing with the hairs at the back of Delia’s neck as they just looked at each other.

Delia brushed her lips against Patsy’s one last time before looking down at her right hand, the ring sparkling brightly even in the low lighting of the room.

‘It was my mother’s,’ Patsy said as she laced her fingers between Delia’s.

‘How...’ Delia started. Patsy had lost everything during the war.

Patsy smiled softly, squeezing her hand. ‘She hid it from the guards, sewed it into her clothes. She protected it almost as fiercely as she protected me and my sister. When she died, I kept it, hid it until we were freed. I knew that was what she would have wanted.’

‘Patsy, I can’t take this,’ Delia said, shaking her head. ‘You should keep it.’

Patsy smiled, stopping Delia from taking it off. ‘There is no one else I want to have it. My father gave it to me to give to you, the woman I love. He wanted it that way, my mother would have wanted it that way, I want it that way. It’s yours now.’

Delia bit her bottom lip as she looked down at the ring again. ‘It’s beautiful.’

‘Just like you,’ Patsy smiled as she reclined on the bed, tapping the sheets next to her until Delia laid down next to her, resting her head right above Patsy’s heart.

‘So how was Hong Kong?’ Delia asked, the steady staccato of Patsy’s heart calming her.

‘Lonely,’ Patsy said softly, tightening her grip on Delia. ‘It always has been. Maybe someday, in the future, after you passed your exams of course,’ she smiled, ‘I can take you there. It is beautiful, but much more enjoyable when you are at my side.’

‘I would like that,’ Delia smiled. She would go wherever Patsy went, that much she knew for sure.

They laid like that for a while, intertwined, comfortable in the knowledge that they had each other.

Delia couldn’t help but look at the ring sparkling on her finger. She would go out tomorrow to buy a chain for it so she could wear around her neck, because even if she couldn’t wear it around her finger, it was never leaving her sight. Not after everything they had endured to get to this point and because of it what it stood for: love, their love.

‘Deels?’ Patsy said, the soft circles she’d been rubbing on her back slowing.

‘What is it, love?’ Delia asked, raising her head so she could look at Patsy. ‘Do you want to go to sleep? You must have had an awfully long day.’

‘Quite the opposite really,’ Patsy smiled, moving her hands up underneath Delia’s shirt. ‘I remember you putting a stop to me repaying you in the shower earlier. But you know me and I don’t like being indebted.’

‘You don’t?’ Delia grinned, happily swinging her leg over Patsy’s hips, straddling her.

‘No, especially not when it is such a nice favour to repay,’ Patsy grinned, drawing Delia in for a kiss.

‘I love you,’ Delia whispered.

‘I love you,’ Patsy smiled, her hand finding Delia’s, tangling their fingers together and squeezing softly, reminding Delia of the ring adorning her finger now, reminding her that Patsy was back. Tomorrow they would deal with whatever came, but tonight they could just be them, be together, be in love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I coulnd't have been the only one who thought that "wherever I go next, you're coming with me" sounded like a proposal of some sort.   
> So I made it a little more explicit (in more than one way), I hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> Comments are still very welcome, thank you for being so incredibly welcome and there will probably more chapters to follow!


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